5 Wisconsin Football Players You Should Be Excited to Watch This Season

Week one of the Wisconsin football season officially kicks off on September 2 at home against Buffalo — and for the Badgers faithful, that day can’t come soon enough.

It’s been a whirlwind offseason for UW — from hiring Luke Fickell — to bringing in a top 10 transfer portal class — and hiring offensive guru Phil Longo — optimism among the collective fanbase couldn’t be much higher.

But the honeymoon phase ends in roughly three weeks, and the only thing that matters will be the outcome on the field.

When the Badgers run out of the tunnel, there are several players I’m incredibly excited to watch this fall. Some of which are donning new uniforms. Others are players walking into more significant opportunities, and some are just players I’m higher on than most.

Spoiler alert ahead of time, this list doesn’t include some obvious choices like Braelon Allen or Maema Njongmeta because everyone is excited to see them.

Here are the five Wisconsin football players, in no particular order, I’m most excited to watch in 2023.

Jack Nelson, Left Tackle 

Anyone who knows me or follows my ramblings understands how much I love Wisconsin football left tackle Jack Nelson. 

Nelson is coming off back-to-back All-Big Ten Honorable Mention seasons, one of which came at right guard and the other at left tackle. 

The 6-foot-7, 310-pound offensive lineman has 25 career starts under his belt and is known for his prowess as a pass-blocker, evidenced by his 83.1 grade by Pro Football Focus, the highest among Badgers players since 2019. Nelson has given up just 24 pressures in 640 career pass-blocking snaps. 

Phil Longo’s offense should allow him to do what he does best — operate in space. With another season’s worth of premium film showing off his size, strength, and athleticism, the NFL will likely come knocking. 

Tanner Mordecai, Wisconsin Football QB 

Wisconsin football has endured some struggles on offense the past couple of seasons due to uneven quarterback play. With SMU transfer Tanner Mordecai under center, the Badgers offense is in good hands. 

The Texas native brings a career 8.1 yards per passing attempt, a significant upgrade from the 7.0 YPA UW got from Graham Mertz. Mordecai’s ability to push the ball downfield and give UW a legitimate passing attack will be a breath of fresh air. 

Mordecai also threw for 7,152 yards the last two seasons to go along with 72 touchdowns — which are video game numbers. Wisconsin landed a good one to help usher in the Dairy Raid, and I can’t wait to see how his game translates to the field on Saturdays this fall — I think he’s going to be a gamer.

Hunter Wohler, Wisconsin Football Safety

Junior safety Hunter Wohler is my write-in candidate for potential first-team All-Big Ten breakout performer. 

Despite missing time due to injury last season, the former four-star recruit totaled 21 tackles, 11 stops, one TFL, plus an interception in six games. 

The 6-foot-2, 200-pound safety will play the “Dollar’ position for Mike Tressel this fall because of his tremendous versatility. In 213 snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus, Wohler played 20 up on the DL, 76 in the box, 98 at FS, and 17 in the slot. In short, he can play anywhere and be a moveable chess piece that keeps an offense guessing. 

Wohler will be put in position to make plays for Wisconsin football this fall and could quickly become a star for the Badgers because he has all the physical tools to be great. 

James Thompson Jr., Defensive End 

Admittedly, I’m not very high on the Wisconsin football team’s defensive line room for this season. They should hold up fine, but there aren’t a ton of playmakers in my eyes. 

James Thompson Jr. is one returning player that should see more time this season that could grow into a playmaker of sorts. Consistency was an issue in his 379 snaps, but he showed flashes of someone who can disrupt and make an impact in the trenches. 

In 13 games, Thompson Jr. registered 22 tackles, 6.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, and a fumble recovery. The Ohio native also posted the only above-average PFF grade on the Wisconsin football defensive line outside of NFL draft pick Keeanu Benton (72.9).

He was a quality run defender and is athletic enough to take a step as a pass-rusher, making him someone I’m excited to watch play under the new coaching staff. 

Darryl Peterson, Outside Linebacker

Wisconsin football has been an outside linebacker factory since the Badgers adapted the 3-4 defensive scheme under Dave Aranda. But entering the 2023 season, this might be the first time UW doesn’t have a clear-cut game wrecker coming off the EDGE. 

The hope is that redshirt sophomore Darryl Peterson can be that guy. 

Peterson has the highest upside among the OLBs; there’s no doubt about it. But we didn’t see that translate to the field in 331 snaps at the Badgers’ No. 3 outside linebacker last season. 

Peterson played in all 13 games, starting three, and totaled 29 tackles, 11 pressures, 2.0 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, and a fumble recovery. He finished with an uninspiring 6.7% pass-rush win percentage, which was 13th on the Wisconsin football team. Per PFF, Peterson ended with a 64.1 grade (slightly above average) as a pass-rusher.

I’ll be fascinated to see if the 6-foot-1, 245-pound OLB can apply pressure and get after the QB consistently — because if he does — the defense has a chance to be elite. 

I wouldn’t be shocked if it all clicks for him and Wisconsin football has another stud other teams need to plan around — but until we see it — Peterson remains someone I’ll be watching closely this fall. 

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